geri_chan

 
Just wanted to share the awesome Yuletide gift I received, a story about Varice from The Numair Chronicles series by Tamora Pierce. (Well, technically there's only one book out right now, but it is part one of an intended series.)

Kitchen Witch (4046 words) by AlterEgon
Chapters: 3/3
Fandom: The Numair Chronicles - Tamora Pierce
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Varice Kingsford
Summary:  We know Varice is happy in the kitchens, but we never get to actually see her at it. Here are a few scenes of her doing what she loves and does well, at different times through her life, and in connection with a few "world events".

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During the last several months, I've read some romance books (mostly Young Adult) about royal couples, or to be more specific, (mostly) between a commoner and a prince or princess. I guess that's always been a common theme, but it seemed to be especially popular for awhile. Two of the books focused on same-sex couples, which was nice to see in mainstream fiction.


( A few minor spoilers below the cut: )

There were a total of four fics written for Burnt (the movie about a temperamental genius chef played by Bradley Cooper) this yuletide, two in the main collection and two in Madness, and all of them were awesome! I'm so stoked that my new-to-me little fandom got so many fics!

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Here's my final update on The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (previous posts are here and here):

I finished it! It was such an amazing book that made me both laugh and cry. Junior went through so many heartbreaking events and more pain than one person should ever have to endure. But he's a strong kid (although he often doesn't think he is), and there are also tender, happy, and/or funny moments where we get so see how loved he is by his friends and family, imperfect as those relationships sometimes are. Without spoiling anything, it ends on a satisfying and hopeful, if somewhat bittersweet note.

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Here are a few short reviews of manga series that I've recently started reading (Alice & Zoroku, The Isolator, Flying Witch, She and Her Cat):


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Another manga review for today's post: My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness by Nagata Kabi. I read it around the same time that I read My Brother's Husband, and while both deal with gay characters, it was a completely different experience. While My Brother's Husband dealt with some serious issues, it was also heartwarming and had its share of humor. My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness was a compelling story, but it was also difficult (emotionally, that is) to read because it describes such a raw, personal, and painful experience. And given that it's an autobiographical story, you have the weird, almost guilty sensation of feeling like you're reading someone's diary. (Or maybe that's just me?)

( Spoilers below... )

As promised in my previous anti-rec post, here is a manga title that I actually did like:

Interviews with Monster Girls: At first, I thought this was going to be a skeevy fanservice title along the lines of A Centaur's Life (which is actually interesting and cute when it's not being skeevy) or Monster Musume, but it was really sweet and adorable and not at all skeevy! In this universe, "demi-humans" exist, though they prefer to be called "demis": creatures from legends and folklore like vampires, dullahans, succubi, and snow women. Biology teacher Takahashi has long had an interest in demi-humans, and it just so happens that there are several demi students at his school (all cute girls, of course), as well as a succubus teacher. Takahashi gets to know the girls through the "interviews" (although they're more like informal talk sessions), and they start coming to him for advice about problems--both demi-related and normal high school stuff. The dullahan develops a crush on him, but it's clearly one-sided and Takahashi has no clue, so thankfully there's no inappropriate student/teacher action going on.

( Cut for minor spoilers... )

I went to see Justice League with some friends yesterday. I heard that it had bad reviews, but I liked it a lot! It wasn't perfect, but I liked the characters and it was fun to watch. My spoilery impressions follow below the cut...


( Spoilers below the cut... )

I recently watched The Red Turtle on dvd--it's an animated movie co-produced by Studio Ghibli and Dutch animator Michael Dudok de Wit. It's a beautiful film, and while it doesn't have the same look as the classic Miyazaki films, there's definitely a Ghibli feel to it.

( Spoilers below the cut... )

I read more manga than US comics, but there are a few titles (Ms. Marvel, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, and Faith) that I've been enjoying lately:


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